Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of producing a toner and a method of producing a resin particle.
Description of the Related Art
Resin particles are used in a wide variety of fields including paints, inks and toners. In any field, controlling the size of resin particles and particle size distribution is regarded as important. In particular, a resin particle having not only a smaller size but also a narrow particle size distribution has been desired. Of these fields, particularly in the field of toners, development of a toner providing a further improved image in quality is desired and toner particles uniform in performance are desired. To satisfy the desires, it is effective to produce toner particles reduced in size and mutually uniform with a narrow particle size distribution. As a method of relatively easily narrowing the particle size distribution of a toner particle, a dissolution-suspension method is exemplified. The dissolution suspension method is a method of obtaining a resin particle by dissolving a resin in an organic solvent in advance to prepare a resin solution and dispersing the resin solution in a dispersion medium to form droplets of the resin solution, followed by removing the organic solvent. In order to prepare a resin particle with a narrow particle size distribution by the dissolution suspension method, it is effective to use a dispersant. The dispersant covers the surface of droplets of a resin-solution to suppress aggregation and sedimentation of the droplets. Likewise, the dispersant contributes to stable dispersion of the droplets and plays a role of maintaining a dispersion state until an organic solvent is removed.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-052005 proposes a method of producing a resin particle by using liquid-state or supercritical-state carbon dioxide as a dispersion medium and a resin fine particle as a dispersant. The resin fine particle used in this method is formed of behenyl acrylate and a methacryl-modified silicone. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-137535 proposes a method of producing a toner in a dispersion medium containing carbon dioxide, by using a resin fine particle containing a resin having a comb-like structure, which is constituted of a unit having an organopolysiloxane structure and a unit having an aliphatic polyester structure.